User interface for medical diagnosis

ABSTRACT

A user interface  10 , configured to be installed in a computing apparatus, for medical diagnosis, includes a display arrangement for displaying an image  28  of a part of a patient&#39;s body on a display device of the apparatus, the image  28  including an abnormality associated with that part of the patient&#39;s body. A library of representations  52 - 58  is accessible by a user, the representations  52 - 58  depicting abnormalities associated with that part of the body, at least some of the representations  52 - 58  being able to be displayed on the display arrangement. A selection means is operable by the user for selecting one of the representations and for overlying the selected representation  52 - 58  on the image  28  to enable the user to identify the abnormality.

BACKGROUND Field

This disclosure relates, generally, to medical diagnosis ofabnormalities and, more particularly, to a user interface for medicaldiagnosis, to a computer readable medium having a computer executablemedical diagnosis application and a computer implemented methodexecutable on a general purpose computing apparatus and to a handhelddevice including the user interface.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, there is provided a user interface, configured to beinstalled in a computing apparatus, for medical diagnosis, the userinterface including:

a display arrangement for displaying an image of a part of a patient'sbody on a display device of the apparatus, the image including anabnormality associated with that part of the patient's body;

a library of representations which is accessible by a user, therepresentations depicting abnormalities associated with that part of thebody, at least some of the representations being able to be displayed onthe display arrangement; and

a selection means operable by the user for selecting one of therepresentations and for overlying the selected representation on theimage to enable the user to identify the abnormality.

The abnormality may be a fracture, an injury, an aneurysm, a blockage ofa blood vessel, or the like. The disclosure has particular applicabilityto classifying fractures. Thus, in this specification the term“identify”, and related terms, is to be understood in a broad sense toinclude classifying medical conditions such as fractures, sprains,ligament damage, dislocations, or the like. Those skilled in the artwill, however, appreciate that the user interface can be used fordiagnosing any medical condition which is based on visualisation of anabnormality which is able to be compared with a representation of thatabnormality obtained from a database or which is able to be identifiedautomatically using techniques such as pattern recognition technology.

In an embodiment, the user interface may be configured to use an imagecapture device of the apparatus for capturing the image of the part ofthe patient's body to be displayed on the display device. In anotherembodiment, the user interface may be configured to use a memory moduleof the apparatus for storing data relating to the image, the data beingable to be retrieved on command from the memory module to display theimage on the display device.

The user interface may include manipulation functionality for enablingthe user to manipulate the selected representation to assist inidentifying the abnormality. The manipulation functionality may comprisetouch responsiveness of the display device of the apparatus tofacilitate carrying out of operations by the user. The operations inquestion may be the selection of the representation, the manipulation ofthe representation (including rotation of the representation, enlargingor reducing the size of the representation on the screen, shifting theposition of the representation, etc.), selecting other options, or thelike. The operations may further include adjusting the colour and/ortransparency of the representation using functionality of the apparatusas per the preference of the user and to assist in identification of theabnormality.

The operations which are able to be carried out by the user may includeentering notes relating to the abnormality, accessing reference worksrelating to the identification of the abnormality or accessingliterature relating to the abnormality and/or the treatment of suchabnormality. The reference works and literature may be subscriber-basedrequiring the user to be a subscriber to be able to gain access to thereference works.

One of the operations which is able to be carried out by the user mayinclude accessing information relating to medical devices to be used intreating the identified abnormality. The user interface may beconfigured to use geographical location determining functionality of theapparatus to enable the user to locate at least one vendor of themedical devices in, or in the vicinity of, a geographical area in whichthe user is located. The apparatus may have a geographical positioningsystem (GPS) associated with it and the user interface may make use ofthe GPS of the apparatus for locating the vendor. The user interface mayalso make use of the GPS of the apparatus to give information aboutmedical devices available for that abnormality and which are located inthe geographical area in which the apparatus is located.

The computing apparatus may be a mobile apparatus. The mobile apparatusmay be a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant, a portablecomputer including a tablet computer, or the like.

In a second aspect, there is provided a user interface, configured to beinstalled in a computing apparatus, for medical diagnosis, the userinterface including:

a display arrangement for displaying an image of a part of a patient'sbody on a display device of the apparatus, the image including anabnormality associated with that part of the patient's body;

a library of representations which is accessible by a user, therepresentations depicting abnormalities associated with that part of thebody, at least some of the representations being able to be displayed onthe display device;

a selection means operable by the user for selecting one of therepresentations and for overlying the selected representation on theimage to enable the user to identify the abnormality; and

an accessing means for accessing a database containing informationrelating to medical devices available for treating the abnormality.

The user interface may be configured, using the accessing means, tocooperate with geographical location determining functionality of theapparatus to enable the user to locate at least one vendor of themedical devices in, or in the vicinity of, a geographical area in whichthe user is located.

In a third aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium having acomputer executable medical diagnosis application executable on ageneral purpose computing apparatus, the medical diagnosis applicationincluding:

a medical data input module configured to receive data relating to animage of a part of a patient's body, the image including an abnormalityassociated with that part of the patient's body, the medical data inputmodule further being configured to manipulate the data to enable theimage to be displayed on a display device of the computing apparatus;

a data access module for accessing a library of representationsdepicting abnormalities associated with that part of the body and fordisplaying at least some of the representations on the display device ofthe computing apparatus; and

a selection module responsive to an input from a user of the computingapparatus to select one of the representations and overlying theselected representation on the image to enable the user to identify theabnormality.

In an embodiment, the medical data input module may include an imageprocessing module for processing the data relating to the image fordisplaying the image on the display device of the computing apparatus.In another embodiment, the medical data input module may include amemory access module for accessing stored data relating to the image,the data being able to be retrieved on command from the memory module todisplay the image on the display device.

The display device of the computing apparatus may be touch enabled andthe computer readable medium may includes manipulation functionalityresponsive to touch inputs from the user for facilitating manipulationof the selected representation relative to the image displayed on thedisplay device to assist in identifying the abnormality, themanipulation of the selected representation comprising at least one ofrepositioning the selected representation, resizing the selectedrepresentation and rotating the selected representation. Themanipulation functionality may further be configured to facilitatecarrying out of operations by the user on the computing apparatus.

The operations which are able to be carried out by the user may includeat least one of entering notes relating to the abnormality, accessingreference works relating to the identification of the abnormality andaccessing literature relating to the abnormality and/or the treatment ofsuch abnormality.

The data access module may be configured to access information relatingto medical devices to be used in treating the identified abnormality.

The computing apparatus may include geographical location determiningfunctionality to identify a geographical area in which the computingapparatus is located and in which the data access module is configuredto locate at least one vendor of the medical devices in, or in thevicinity of, the geographical area of the computing apparatus. The dataaccess module may also be configured to use the functionality of theapparatus to give information about medical devices available for thatabnormality and which are located in the geographical area in which theapparatus is located.

The computing apparatus may be a mobile apparatus.

In a fourth aspect there is provided a computer readable medium having acomputer executable medical diagnosis application executable on ageneral purpose computing apparatus, the medical diagnosis applicationincluding:

a medical data input module configured to receive data relating to animage of a part of a patient's body, the image including an abnormalityassociated with that part of the patient's body, the medical data inputmodule further being configured to manipulate the data to enable theimage to be displayed on a display device of the computing apparatus;

a data access module for accessing a library of representationsdepicting abnormalities associated with that part of the body and fordisplaying at least some of the representations on the display device ofthe computing apparatus; and

a selection module responsive to an input from a user of the computingapparatus to select one of the representations and overlying theselected representation on the image to enable the user to identify theabnormality;

wherein the data access module is further configured to access adatabase containing information relating to medical devices availablefor treating the abnormality.

The computing apparatus may include functionality to identify ageographical area in which the computing apparatus is located and thedata access module may be configured to locate at least one vendor ofthe medical devices in, or in the vicinity of, the geographical area ofthe computing apparatus. The data access module may also be configuredto use the functionality of the apparatus to give information aboutmedical devices available for that abnormality and which are located inthe geographical area in which the apparatus is located.

In a fifth aspect there is provided a computer implemented method formedical diagnosis to be executed on a general purpose computingapparatus, the method including:

receiving data relating to an image of a part of a patient's body, theimage including an abnormality associated with that part of thepatient's body and manipulating the data to enable the image to bedisplayed on a display device of the computing apparatus;

accessing a library of representations depicting abnormalitiesassociated with that part of the body and displaying at least some ofthe representations on the display device of the computing apparatus;and

selecting one of the representations and overlying the selectedrepresentation on the image to enable the user to identify theabnormality.

In an embodiment, the method may include processing the data relating tothe image for displaying the image on the display device of thecomputing apparatus. In another embodiment, the method may includeaccessing stored data relating to the image, the data being able to beretrieved on command from the memory module to display the image on thedisplay device.

The display device of the computing apparatus may be touch enabled andincludes manipulation functionality responsive to touch inputs from theuser and the method may include using the manipulation functionality tomanipulate the selected representation relative to the image displayedon the display device to assist in identifying the abnormality, themanipulation of the selected representation comprising at least one ofrepositioning the selected representation, resizing the selectedrepresentation and rotating the selected representation.

The method may include using the manipulation functionality to carry outoperations by the user on the computing apparatus, the operations to becarried out by the user including at least one of entering notesrelating to the abnormality, accessing reference works relating to theidentification of the abnormality, and accessing literature relating tothe abnormality and/or the treatment of such abnormality.

The method may include accessing information relating to medical devicesto be used in treating the identified abnormality. The method mayinclude identifying a geographical area in which the computing apparatusis located and locating at least one vendor of the medical devices in,or in the vicinity of, the geographical area of the computing apparatus.The method may further include giving information about medical devicesavailable for that abnormality and which are located in the geographicalarea in which the apparatus is located.

In a sixth aspect, there is provided a computer implemented method formedical diagnosis to be executed on a general purpose computingapparatus, the method including:

receiving data relating to an image of a part of a patient's body, theimage including an abnormality associated with that part of thepatient's body and manipulating the data to enable the image to bedisplayed on a display device of the computing apparatus;

accessing a library of representations depicting abnormalitiesassociated with that part of the body and displaying at least some ofthe representations on the display device of the computing apparatus;

selecting one of the representations and overlying the selectedrepresentation on the image to enable the user to identify theabnormality; and

accessing a database containing information relating to medical devicesavailable for treating the abnormality.

The method may include identifying a geographical area in which thecomputing apparatus is located and locating at least one vendor of themedical devices in, or in the vicinity of, the geographical area of thecomputing apparatus. The method may further include giving informationabout medical devices available for that abnormality and which arelocated in the geographical area in which the apparatus is located.

The disclosure extends to a handheld device including a user interfaceas described above.

The handheld device may be a mobile device. Examples of mobile devicesincorporating the user interface include mobile telephones commonlyreferred to as “smart phones”, tablet computers, personal digitalassistants (PDAs), or the like.

The user interface may be generated from a computer executable medicaldiagnosis application carried by a computer readable medium as describedabove.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

An embodiment of the disclosure is now described by way of example onlywith reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a screenshot of a home screen of an embodiment of a userinterface for medical diagnosis;

FIG. 2 shows a screenshot of the user interface showing a skeletalsystem with selectable segments;

FIG. 3 shows a screenshot of the user interface showing an image of apart of a patient's body and selectable classification systems relatingto identifying abnormalities associated with that part of the patient'sbody;

FIG. 4 shows a screenshot of the user interface showing a plurality ofrepresentations obtained from the selected classification system;

FIG. 5 shows a screenshot of the user interface showing a selectedrepresentation in the process of being manipulated on a display relativeto the underlying image;

FIG. 6 shows a screenshot of the user interface after the selectedrepresentation has been positioned relative to the underlying image;

FIG. 7 shows a screenshot of the user interface identifying theabnormality as shown in the image using the selected representation;

FIG. 8 shows a screenshot of the user interface showing notes relatingto the identified abnormality made by a user of the interface;

FIG. 9 shows a screenshot of the user interface showing a plurality offields, each field containing a link to a resource containing materialrelated to the identified abnormality;

FIG. 10 shows a screenshot of the user interface showing examples ofsummaries of articles related to that abnormality obtained by clickingon one of the displayed links in the preceding screenshot;

FIG. 11 shows a screenshot of the user interface showing an example ofinformation related to that abnormality obtained by clicking on anotherone of the displayed links in the screenshot of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 shows a screenshot of the user interface showing an implantatlas containing a listing of companies that make medical devices foruse in treating the identified abnormality;

FIG. 13 shows a screenshot of the user interface showing contact detailsof a representative of a selected company obtained using geographicallocation functionality of an apparatus in which an embodiment of acomputer executable medical diagnosis application, with which the userinterface is associated, is installed; and

FIGS. 14 a-14 c show a flowchart of an embodiment of the computerexecutable medical diagnosis application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

In the drawings, reference numeral 10 generally designates an embodimentof a user interface for medical diagnosis. The user interface 10 iscontained in a general computing apparatus, more particularly, a mobiledevice. Examples of the mobile device include, but are not limited to,mobile telephones, particularly those referred to as “smart phones”,portable computing devices such as tablet computers, netbook or notebookcomputers, personal digital assistance (PDAs), or the like. While theuser interface 10 has been developed specifically for use with suchmobile devices, it will be appreciated that the user interface 10, andits underlying computer application, could be used on any suitablyconfigured general computing apparatus. It is therefore not intended tobe limited to use only on handheld or mobile devices.

The user interface 10 is intended for use in diagnosing abnormalitiesassociated with a patient's body. While the user interface 10 has beendeveloped specifically for diagnosing and dealing with abnormalities inthe form of fractures in a patient's body, it will be appreciated thatthe user interface 10 is able to be used, with little, if any,modification to diagnose other conditions such as the presence ofstrains or sprains, ligament damage, or the like. In addition, the userinterface 10 is also able to be used with reference to other medicalconditions such as the treatment of aneurysms, narrowing of bloodvessels due to plaque build up, other blood vessel abnormalities such aswall thinning, or the like.

With particular reference to FIG. 1 of the drawings, an initialscreenshot or home screen of the user interface 10 is illustrated. Thehome screen, designated generally by reference numeral 12, is displayedon a display of the device (not shown) containing the user interface 10.

The home screen 12 displays a plurality of fields. The fields which aredisplayed on the home screen include a Notes field 14, a New Photo field16, a Camera Roll″ field 18, a Screenshots field 20, a Search field 22,an Implant Atlas field 24 and a Classifications field 26. The userinterface 10 makes use of a touch enabled display of the device. Thus,by a user touching the display in region overlying the required field,that field is activated.

The New Photo field 16 is operated by the user of the user interface 10when it is desired to take a photo of an X-ray image 28 (FIG. 4) whichis to be used in identifying and/or classifying a fracture contained inthe X-ray image 28. The New Photo field 16 is operated by the user whenthe user wishes to use a camera (not shown) of the device containing theuser interface 10.

Hence, when the user wishes to take a photograph of the X-ray image 28,the user touches the new photo field 16 which causes the image to becaptured by the device and stored in a memory of the device.

If the X-ray image 28 has previously been photographed, it is stored ina memory of the device containing the user interface 10. The user canaccess this previously stored image by means of the Camera Roll field18. In addition, the memory of the device also stores images which havebeen loaded into the device by other methods, for example, by beingattachments to an email, multimedia message service (MMS), or the like.The user uses the Camera Roll field 18 to access any one of suchpreviously stored images.

In addition, if the X-ray image 28 is being displayed on the display ofthe device then, by using appropriate functionality of the device, thescreenshot displayed can be saved by using the Screenshot field 20.

The Search field 22, as its name suggests, enables the user to searcheither the device or other resources for material which is of interestto the user.

The Implant Atlas field 24 enables the user to obtain details ofcompanies which produce medical devices for use in the treatment ofvarious fractures and, if desired orthopaedic pathology in general, aswill be described in greater detail below.

Fractures are classified by various classification systems. Part of thepurpose of the user interface 10 is to enable the user to classify afracture contained in an X-ray image such as that depicted at 28 in FIG.4 of the drawings using the relevant classification system. Byactivating the Classifications field 26, the user can obtain detailsregarding the various classification systems available.

Once an X-ray image 28 has been captured by the device containing theuser interface 10, a second screen is displayed on the display of thedevice as shown by the screenshot 30 in FIG. 2 of the drawings. Thescreen contains a skeleton 32 as well as a part 34 of the skeleton 32 ofa patient.

While the user interface 10 will generally be used in the treatment ofhuman patients, those skilled in the art will appreciate that there isnothing preventing the user interface 10 being used in the treatment ofother animal patients as well. It is intended by the applicant that theuser interface 10 can be used for the treatment of other animals aswell.

The skeletal image 32 and the part 34 have segments 36 which arehighlighted. The user selects the relevant segment 36 by touching thatpart of the display overlying the relevant segment. In this case, theuser selects segment 38 of the skeletal image 32 displayed on the screenof the device. The user can also select a Left/Right field 42 displayedin the screenshot 30 depending on which part of the skeleton is ofinterest. The user can indicate whether the patient is an adult or achild (paediatric) patient by means of a field 44 in the screenshot 30.

After the skeletal segment 38 and the relevant fields 42 and 44 havebeen selected, a further screen is displayed on the display of thedevice as illustrated by the screenshot 46 in FIG. 3 of the drawings.This screenshot 46 displays the X-ray image 28 as well fields 48 and 50relating classification systems. While two classification systems 48 and50 are illustrated, it will be appreciated that, in practice, a greateror fewer number of classification systems could be displayed in thescreenshot 46.

In this case, the user selects the field 48 to obtain the relevantclassification. When this occurs, a further screen is displayed as shownin the screenshot 60 (FIG. 4). Together with the X-ray image 28, variousrepresentations in the form of illustrations 52, 54, 56 and 58 aredisplayed. The user can select the relevant illustration 52-58 whichmost closely approximates the fracture depicted in the X-ray image 28. ADescription field 62 is also displayed in the screenshot 60 to enablethe user to obtain a description of the classification system being usedand/or the fracture in question.

In the case of the X-ray image 28 depicted, the illustration which mostclosely approximates the fracture is that shown by illustration 52.Hence, as shown in a screenshot 64 in FIG. 5 of the drawings, the userselects the image 52. Using the touch screen functionality of thedevice, the user is able to manipulate the selected illustration 52.More particularly, the user can resize, reposition and rotate theselected illustration 52. The user manipulates the illustration 52 sothat it overlies the fracture in the X-ray image 28 to enable the userto determine which type of fracture is present in the X-ray image 28.The user can also adjust the colour and/or transparency of theillustration 52 using functionality 65 of the apparatus as per thepreference of the user and to assist in identification of the fracture.Once the illustration 52 overlies the X-ray image such as shown in ascreenshot 66 of the display shown in FIG. 6 of the drawings, the usercan activate a Diagnosis field 68. This can be done either in the screenof screenshot 64 or the screen of screenshot 66.

When the user activates the Diagnosis field 68, a following screen isdisplayed, a screenshot of which is shown at 70 in FIG. 7 of thedrawings. As illustrated in the screenshot 70, an identification of thefracture is displayed at 72. In addition, a Search field 74, an Add ToNote field 76 and a further Implant Atlas field 77 are displayed. Thefields 74, 76 and 77 correspond with the fields 22, 14, and 24respectively of the screen illustrated in the screenshot 12 in FIG. 1 ofthe drawings.

The field 76 enables the user such as a clinician to enter notesrelating to the patient and the fracture in question. FIG. 8 illustratesa screenshot 78 of the screen that is displayed after the user activatesthe field 76. The screen includes a window 80 and a reduced image of theX-ray 28. The user is able to enter details regarding the fracture andthe patient in the window 80 and to save it using a Save field 82. Theuser can also transfer such information (details and picture orpictures) to a colleague for an opinion or for a referral, throughe-mail, MMS, or the like.

If the user wishes to obtain further information regarding the fracture,the user activates the Search field 74. This results in the display of ascreen, a screenshot 84 of which is shown in FIG. 9 of the drawings. Thescreen contains a number of links 86 to reference works relating to thetype of fracture as displayed in a field 87. These links 86 link theuser to various databases containing information of interest to theuser. The links 86 make use of the diagnostic phrase or term of interestdisplayed in the field 87 to perform a search of the reference works,including reference works previously stored in the apparatus itself. Itmay be that some of these links are subscriber-only links where oneneeds to be a subscriber in order to access the relevant link 86.

Generally, the information accessed by a link 86 would be stored at alocation remote from the device containing the user interface 10. Theuser accesses the relevant database in the appropriate manner, forexample, via the Internet.

Assuming the user has activated the first link 86, a further screen isdisplayed, a screenshot 88 of which is shown in FIG. 10 of the drawings.As illustrated in the screenshot 88, links 90 to various articlesrelating to the type of fracture in question as gathered by theorganisation in control of that link are displayed. The user can clickon one of the links 90 to gain access to the full article. As describedabove, this may, in certain circumstances, only be possible if the useris a subscriber to the journal or organisation in question.

FIG. 11 shows a screenshot 92 of a further source of information whichis obtained by clicking the appropriate link 86 of the screenillustrated in the screenshot 84 of FIG. 9.

If the user activates the “Implant Atlas” field 77 in the screen shownin the screenshot 70 of FIG. 7 of the drawings, a screen is displayed, ascreenshot 94 of which is shown in FIG. 12 of the drawings. The screendisplays a listing of companies 96 which are active in the field ofmedical devices relevant to the treatment of the fracture in question.These company names 96 may, themselves, be in the form of links. Thus,the user can click on the name of the relevant company to see whatmedical devices that company has available for the treatment of thefracture.

If desired, the Implant Atlas″ field 77 could also be used by the userto determine if the medical institution in which the user is located hasthe relevant medical devices in store to enable the fracture to betreated.

The device containing the user interface 10 may have geographicallocation determining functionality. The user interface 10 makes use ofthis functionality for use with the Implant Atlas field 77. Thus, whenthe user clicks on the name of one of the companies 96, the userinterface 10 determines the geographical location of the device anddisplays a screen giving the name of the local sales representative ofthe selected company 96 as shown at 98 in a screenshot 100 in FIG. 13 ofthe drawings. Further, as shown in the screenshot 100, a banner 102 canbe displayed giving details of educational seminars which are available.In addition to such educational seminars, the banner 102 could containadvertising material, for example, by any of the companies 96 listed inthe screenshot 94. It will be appreciated that such banners 102 could bedisplayed in any of the other screens as well. The banners 102 may, ifdesired, be linked to the diagnosis as displayed to provide treatmentspecific advertisements.

The user interface 10, as described above, is part of a computerexecutable medical diagnosis application. The application is intended tobe executed on a device of the type described above, such as a mobiletelephone, tablet computer, PDA, or the like. It is becomingincreasingly popular that such applications are loaded into the deviceby purchasing the application from an on-line store or other on-linesource. It is intended that this user interface 10 be loaded on to thedevice in a similar manner. It will, however, be appreciated that theapplication itself could be stored on any other suitable medium such asa memory card, USB memory stick, a computer disc, or the like.

Referring now to FIGS. 14 a-14 c of the drawings, the operation of theapplication is briefly discussed.

As shown, initially, a home screen 12 is displayed. The home screen 12,as described above, displays the fields 16-26. If the New Photo field 16is activated, a camera of the computing apparatus is used, as shown atstep 104, to acquire the X-ray image 28. Instead, if the Camera Rollfield 18 is activated, a memory of the apparatus is accessed to obtainthe X-ray image 28 as shown at step 106. Finally, if the Screenshotfield 20 is activated, functionality of the apparatus is used to obtaina screenshot of material displayed on the screen to acquire the X-rayimage 28 as shown at step 108. Step 108 may also be used to explain to auser how to obtain a screenshot.

After acquisition of the X-ray image 28 occurs, the skeletal image 32and part 34 of the skeleton 32 is displayed as shown at step 110. Atstep 112, the relevant skeletal segment 36 is selected, at step 114 theage group of the patient is selected and at step 116 the injury side ofthe patient is selected using the fields 44 and 42, respectively.

At step 118, the classification systems 48 and 50 are displayed as shownin the screenshot 46 (FIG. 3). At step 120, the user selects theappropriate classification system which results in the illustrations 50to 58 being displayed at step 122. If the user activates the Descriptionfield 62, a written explanation of the classification system is providedat step 124.

Step 126 relates to the selection of the relevant illustration and thisis followed at step 128 by the user manipulating the selectedillustration 52 so that it overlies the fracture in the X-ray image 28,as described above. Once the manipulation step 128 has been completed, adiagnosis of the relevant fracture and, as shown at step 132, thiscauses the classification of the fracture to be displayed.

Step 134 provides the user with the relevant options to search, add anote or to access the Implant Atlas using the fields 74, 76 and 77,respectively. When the field 76 is activated, step 136 allows the userto enter a note containing details regarding the fracture, patient, etc.When the Search field 74 is activated, step 138 links this to the Searchfield 22 to enable the user to search resources for information relatingto the fracture and/or the treatment of the fracture.

If the user has made a note regarding the fracture, the user has theoption of saving the note, as shown at step 140, into the memory of theapparatus as shown as step 142. Instead, as shown at step 144, the usercan use email or MMS functionality of the apparatus as shown at step 146to send the note to third parties as shown at step 148. The user alsohas the option to add a photo of the X-ray image 28 as shown at step 150using steps 104, 106 or 108 described above.

When the user accesses the Implant Atlas at step 134, the user is ableto get the names of companies which make medical devices which are ableto be used in fixing fractures of the type in question. Further, asshown at step 152 (FIG. 14 a), the user can, using geographical locationdetermining functionality of the apparatus containing the application,such as a GPS of the apparatus, obtain details of a local salesrepresentative of the company selected. When accessing the company, theuser is also able to obtain details of the types and specifications ofthe medical products offered by that company.

Hence, it is a particular advantage of the disclosure that a userinterface 10 and its associated application are provided which enableusers to obtain classification of abnormalities associated with parts ofa patient's body easily and rapidly and to share this information withcolleagues and third parties. This is particularly advantageous in areaswhich may not have ready access to major medical institutions, such asin more remote areas of a country. Users in such remote areas canforward the information to colleagues in larger regions to obtainassistance in diagnosing and treating such abnormalities.

It is another advantage of the disclosure that, by having access toresources relating to the abnormalities, users can improve theirknowledge in a rapid, cost-effective manner. Still further, by beingable to access details of companies which make medical devices for usein treatment of such abnormalities, the user can readily obtain therelevant medical devices and it may be possible for medical institutionsto have less inventory stored on site with the resultant cost savings. Afurther benefit of being able to access data relating to the medicaldevices is that users could made aware of newer, more efficient medicaldevices which are available. A similar thing applies in that, byaccessing the resources relating to the treatment of such abnormalities,the user may be made aware of newer and improved treatments of which theuser may not have been previously aware.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerousvariations and/or modifications may be made to the disclosure as shownin the specific embodiments without departing from the scope of thedisclosure as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore,to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A user interface, configured to beinstalled in a computing apparatus, for medical diagnosis, the userinterface including: a display arrangement for displaying an image of apart of a patient's body on a display device of the apparatus, the partof the patient's body displayed in the image including an abnormality inthe form of a physiological defect in that part of the patient's body; alibrary of representations of multiple, different, physiologicalabnormalities associated with that part of the body, the library ofrepresentations being accessible by a user, at least some of therepresentations being displayed simultaneously on the displayarrangement; and a selector configured to be operated by the user toselect one of the representations of physiological abnormalities and tooverlie the selected representation from the library on the image in thedisplay arrangement to assist the user in identifying the physiologicalabnormality of that part of the patient's body.
 2. The user interface ofclaim 1 in which the computing apparatus is a mobile apparatus.
 3. Theuser interface of claim 1 which is configured to use an image capturedevice of the apparatus for capturing the image of the part of thepatient's body to be displayed on the display device.
 4. The userinterface of claim 1 which is configured to use a memory module of theapparatus for storing data relating to the image, the data being able tobe retrieved on command from the memory module to display the image onthe display device.
 5. The user interface of claim 1 which includesmanipulation functionality for enabling the user to manipulate theselected representation to assist in identifying the abnormality.
 6. Theuser interface of claim 5 in which the manipulation functionalitycomprises touch responsiveness of the display device of the apparatus tofacilitate carrying out of operations by the user.
 7. The user interfaceof claim 6 in which the operations which are able to be carried out bythe user include entering notes relating to the abnormality, accessingreference works relating to the identification of the abnormality oraccessing literature relating to the abnormality and/or the treatment ofsuch abnormality.
 8. The user interface of claim 7 which the operationsfurther include adjusting the colour and/or transparency of therepresentation using functionality of the apparatus as per thepreference of the user and to assist in identification of theabnormality.
 9. The user interface of claim 7 in which the referenceworks and literature are subscriber-based requiring the user to be asubscriber to be able to gain access to the reference works.
 10. Theuser interface of claim 7 in which one of the operations which is ableto be carried out by the user includes accessing information relating tomedical devices to be used in treating the identified abnormality. 11.The user interface of claim 10 which is configured to use geographicallocation determining functionality of the apparatus to enable the userto locate at least one vendor of the medical devices in, or in thevicinity of, a geographical area in which the user is located.
 12. Theuser interface of claim 10 which is configured to use the geographicallocation determining functionality of the apparatus to give informationabout medical devices available for that abnormality and which arelocated in the geographical area in which the apparatus is located. 13.A user interface, configured to be installed in a computing apparatus,for medical diagnosis, the user interface including: a displayarrangement for displaying an image of a part of a patient's body on adisplay device of the apparatus, the part of the patient's bodydisplayed in the image including an abnormality in the form of aphysiological defect in that part of the patient's body; a library ofrepresentations of multiple, different, physiological abnormalitiesassociated with that part of the body, the library of representationsbeing accessible by a user, at least some of the representations beingdisplayed simultaneously on the display device; a selector configured tobe operated by the user to select one of the representations ofphysiological abnormalities and to overlie the selected representationfrom the library on the image in the display arrangement to assist theuser in identifying the physiological abnormality of that part of thepatient's body; and an accessing means for accessing a databasecontaining information relating to medical devices available fortreating the physiological abnormality.
 14. The user interface of claim13 in which the computing apparatus is a mobile apparatus.
 15. The userinterface of claim 13 which is configured, using the accessing means, tocooperate with geographical location determining functionality of theapparatus to enable the user to locate at least one vendor of themedical devices in, or in the vicinity of, a geographical area in whichthe user is located.
 16. The user interface of claim 15 which isconfigured to use the geographical location determining functionality ofthe apparatus to give information about medical devices available forthat abnormality and which are located in the geographical area in whichthe apparatus is located.
 17. A non-transitory computer readable mediumhaving a computer executable medical diagnosis application executable ona general purpose computing apparatus, the medical diagnosis applicationincluding: a medical data input module configured to receive datarelating to an image of a part of a patient's body, the image includingan abnormality in the form of a physiological defect in that part of thepatient's body, the medical data input module further being configuredto manipulate the data to enable the image to be displayed on a displaydevice of the computing apparatus; a data access module for accessing alibrary of representations of multiple, different, physiologicalabnormalities associated with that part of the body, the library ofrepresentations being accessible by a user of the computing apparatus todisplay at least some of the representations simultaneously on thedisplay device of the computing apparatus; and a selection moduleresponsive to an input from the user to select one of therepresentations of physiological abnormalities and to enable the user tooverlie the selected representation from the library on the image toassist the user in identifying the physiological abnormality of thatpart of the patient's body.
 18. The non-transitory computer readablemedium of claim 17 in which the computing apparatus is a mobileapparatus.
 19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17in which the medical data input module includes an image processingmodule for processing the data relating to the image for displaying theimage on the display device of the computing apparatus.
 20. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 in which the medicaldata input module includes a memory access module for accessing storeddata relating to the image, the data being able to be retrieved oncommand from the memory module to display the image on the displaydevice.
 21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 inwhich the display device of the computing apparatus is touch enabled andin which the computer readable medium includes manipulationfunctionality responsive to touch inputs from the user for facilitatingmanipulation of the selected representation relative to the imagedisplayed on the display device to assist in identifying theabnormality, the manipulation of the selected representation comprisingat least one of repositioning the selected representation, resizing theselected representation and rotating the selected representation. 22.The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21 in which themanipulation functionality is further configured to facilitate carryingout of operations by the user on the computing apparatus.
 23. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 22 in which theoperations which are able to be carried out by the user include at leastone of entering notes relating to the abnormality, accessing referenceworks relating to the identification of the abnormality and accessingliterature relating to the abnormality and/or the treatment of suchabnormality.
 24. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17in which the data access module is configured to access informationrelating to medical devices to be used in treating the identifiedabnormality.
 25. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 24in which the computing apparatus includes geographical locationdetermining functionality to identify a geographical area in which thecomputing apparatus is located and in which the data access module isconfigured to locate at least one vendor of the medical devices in, orin the vicinity of, the geographical area of the computing apparatus.26. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 25 in which thedata access module is configured to use the functionality of theapparatus to give information about medical devices available for thatabnormality and which are located in the geographical area in which theapparatus is located.
 27. A non-transitory computer readable mediumhaving a computer executable medical diagnosis application executable ona general purpose computing apparatus, the medical diagnosis applicationincluding: a medical data input module configured to receive datarelating to an image of a part of a patient's body, the part of thepatient's body in the image including an abnormality in the form of aphysiological defect in the part of the patient's body, the medical datainput module further being configured to manipulate the data to enablethe image to be displayed on a display device of the computingapparatus; a data access module for accessing a library ofrepresentations of multiple, different, physiological abnormalitiesassociated with that part of the body, the library of representationsbeing accessible by a user of the computing apparatus to display atleast some of the representations simultaneously on the display deviceof the computing apparatus; and a selection module responsive to aninput from the user to select one of the representations ofabnormalities and to enable the user to overlie the selectedrepresentation from the library on the image to assist the user inidentifying the physiological abnormality of that part of the patient'sbody; wherein the data access module is further configured to access adatabase containing information relating to medical devices availablefor treating the abnormality.
 28. The non-transitory computer readablemedium of claim 27 in which the computing apparatus is a mobileapparatus.
 29. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 27in which the computing apparatus includes geographical locationdetermining functionality to identify a geographical area in which thecomputing apparatus is located and in which the data access module isconfigured to locate at least one vendor of the medical devices in, orin the vicinity of, the geographical area of the computing apparatus.30. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 29 in which thedata access module is configured to use the functionality of theapparatus to give information about medical devices available for thatabnormality and which are located in the geographical area in which theapparatus is located.
 31. A computer implemented method for medicaldiagnosis to be executed on a general purpose computing apparatus, themethod including: receiving data relating to an image of a part of apatient's body including an abnormality in the front of a physiologicaldefect and manipulating the data to enable the image to be displayed ona display device of the computing apparatus; accessing a library ofrepresentations of multiple, different, physiological abnormalitiesassociated with that part of the body and displaying at least some ofthe representations simultaneously on the display device of thecomputing apparatus; and selecting one of the representations ofphysiological abnormalities and overlying the selected representationfrom the library on the image to assist the user in identifying thephysiological abnormality of that part of the patient's body.
 32. Themethod of claim 31 which includes accessing information relating tomedical devices to be used in treating the identified abnormality. 33.The method of claim 32 which includes identifying a geographical area inwhich the computing apparatus is located and locating at least onevendor of the medical devices in, or in the vicinity of, thegeographical area of the computing apparatus.
 34. The method of claim 33which includes giving information about medical devices available forthat abnormality and which are located in the geographical area in whichthe apparatus is located.
 35. The method of claim 31 which includesprocessing the data relating to the image for displaying the image onthe display device of the computing apparatus.
 36. The method of claim31 which includes accessing stored data relating to the image, the databeing able to be retrieved on command from the memory module to displaythe image on the display device.
 37. The method of claim 31 in which thedisplay device of the computing apparatus is touch enabled and includesmanipulation functionality responsive to touch inputs from the user andin which the method includes using the manipulation functionality tomanipulate the selected representation relative to the image displayedon the display device to assist in identifying the abnormality, themanipulation of the selected representation comprising at least one ofrepositioning the selected representation, resizing the selectedrepresentation and rotating the selected representation.
 38. The methodof claim 37 which includes using the manipulation functionality to carryout operations by the user on the computing apparatus, the operations tobe carried out by the user including at least one of entering notesrelating to the abnormality, accessing reference works relating to theidentification of the abnormality, and accessing literature relating tothe abnormality and/or the treatment of such abnormality.
 39. A computerimplemented method for medical diagnosis to be executed on a generalpurpose computing apparatus, the method including: receiving datarelating to an image of a part of a patient's body including anabnormality in the form of a physiological defect and manipulating thedata to enable the image to be displayed on a display device of thecomputing apparatus; accessing a library of representations of multiple,different, physiological abnormalities associated with that part of thebody and displaying at least some of the representations simultaneouslyon the display device of the computing apparatus; selecting one of therepresentations and overlying the selected representation from thelibrary on the image to assist the user in identifying the physiologicalabnormality of that part of the patient's body; and accessing a databasecontaining information relating to medical devices available fortreating the abnormality.
 40. The method of claim 39 which includesidentifying a geographical area in which the computing apparatus islocated and locating at least one vendor of the medical devices in, orin the vicinity of, the geographical area of the computing apparatus.41. The method of claim 40 which includes giving information aboutmedical devices available for that abnormality and which are located inthe geographical area in which the apparatus is located.
 42. A handhelddevice including a user interface as claimed in claim
 1. 43. Thehandheld device of claim 42 which is a mobile device.
 44. The handhelddevice of claim 42 in which the user interface is generated from acomputer executable medical diagnosis application carried by a computerreadable medium as claimed in claim
 17. 45. The handheld device of claim42 in which the user interface is generated from a computer executablemedical diagnosis application carried by a computer readable medium asclaimed in claim 27.